Management of language usage to facilitate effective communication

ABSTRACT

Provided are techniques for providing annotations for revising a message. A message to be sent from a sender to a recipient is received. A meaning map associated with the sender and a meaning map associated with the recipient are obtained. The message is parsed into sub-constructs. The sub-constructs are compared in the meaning map associated with the sender and the meaning map associated with the recipient. Alternative language for the sub-constructs is identified. Annotations are provided based on the alternative language.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to management of language usage tofacilitate effective communication.

BACKGROUND

Effective communication of all sorts, including informal (e.g.,interpersonal) and formal (e.g., official business), is needed everyday. Effective communication has the following characteristics: mutualunderstanding of content by all interlocutors, which may be evidenced byfeedback; people getting what they need to know when they need to knowit; and written records that are easily accessible by subject andchronology. Effective communication is often difficult.

There are a number of barriers to effective communication, such as:

Difference in technical or academic discipline

Prejudices and attitudes

Personality differences

Hidden Agendas

Emotions

Fear of blame or retribution

Culture differences

No communication plan

Imprecise language

People use language differently

Another aspect of communication is that people are now communicatingmore with people they do not know well or have not met in person. Whenpeople interact and talk together for a long time (especially inperson), they understand better how each other uses language.

In a simple example, a first person might say “the software is buggy”,and the first person may mean that one bug was found. A second personmight say “the software is buggy”, and the second person may mean thatthe software crashes, produces logical errors, and needs to be retestedand rewritten. If the people have worked together on software for a longtime and one person says “the software is buggy”, the other person mayknow what the person means.

Because each person is an individual with a unique conditioning,personality, etc., it is possible for there to occur miscommunicationsor misinterpretations, particularly when dealing with complex and/orcontroversial topics across multiple people with different cultural andethnic backgrounds.

People see the world and use language differently. What person A saysand what person B hears may be two different things. This is based onthe fact that their minds work differently, they have differenteducation, they have different cultural exposure, and they speak andlive with different people.

Communication, which is useful to resolving most conflicts, may be thecause of conflict. For instance, a sender may not be clear in his or hercommunication or a recipient may not be truly listening. Makingassumptions can also affect communication. A lack of communication canresult in misunderstanding.

With communication, both the sender and recipient of a message shouldunderstand the message in the way the sender means for the message to beunderstood. When there is effective communication, the recipient readsand then expresses an understanding of the message in his/her own wordsback to the sender. The sender determines whether the message wasunderstood as intended and, if not, sends further communications untilsatisfied. While this can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating,it is useful to proceed with work at hand. Without a mutualunderstanding, people may take action with the wrong idea of what to doand how to do it. Inevitably, that leads to rework. It can also lead tointerpersonal conflict, which can be far more costly and disruptive thanrework.

SUMMARY

Provided are a method, computer program product, and system forproviding annotations for revising a message. A message to be sent froma sender to a recipient is received. A meaning map associated with thesender and a meaning map associated with the recipient are obtained. Themessage is parsed into sub-constructs. The sub-constructs are comparedin the meaning map associated with the sender and the meaning mapassociated with the recipient. Alternative language for thesub-constructs is identified. Annotations are provided based on thealternative language.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a computing environment in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates, in a flow diagram, operations performed when amessage is to be sent from a sender to one or more recipients inaccordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 5 is formed by FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B.

FIG. 6 illustrates, in a flow diagram, operations performed when amessage is received by a recipient in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates, in a flow diagram, operations performed to provideannotations on a message in accordance with certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the

provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. Theapplications are accessible from various client devices through a thinclient interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and meaning mapping.

Thus, in certain embodiments, software, implementing meaning mapping inaccordance with embodiments described herein, is provided as a servicein a cloud environment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a computing environment in accordance with certainembodiments. The computing environment includes one or more computingdevices 400 a . . . 400 n. The computing devices 400 a . . . 400 n maybe coupled together via a cloud or other communication network. Eachcomputing device 400 a . . . 400 n includes a meaning mapper 410. Also,each computing device 400 a . . . 400 n includes a knowledge base 420 a. . . 420 n. Each knowledge base 420 a . . . 420 n includes meaning maps422 a . . . 422 n, personal dictionaries 424 a . . . 424 n, and personalthesauri 426 a . . . 426 n. The knowledge bases 420 a . . . 420 n may bethe same or different knowledge bases (e.g., may have some of the samemeaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n and some different meaning maps 422 a . .. 422 n).

In certain embodiments, two users at a single computing device 400 a . .. 400 n may use the meaning mapper 410 to assist in their communicationswith each other. In other environments, users sitting at differentcomputing devices 400 a . . . 400 n may use the meaning mapper 410 toassist in their communications with each other.

The meaning mapper 410 facilitates effective communication recognizingthe people use language differently. In particular, the meaning mapper410 determines an approximation of the intended meaning of the messageusing a first meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n associated with the senderand a second meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n associated with a recipient.The meaning mapper 410 compares sub-constructs (e.g., tokens, words,phrases, etc.) in the first meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n withsub-constructs in the second meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n and returnsthe message to the sender if the comparisons show a difference greaterthan a threshold with an indication of how different parts of themessage effected the comparison.

In certain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 allows electronicmessages to be translated per a meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n that isassociated with a user (e.g., as a user profile) and is associated witha modality. In certain embodiments, a modality is a dialect definedthrough text analytics. In certain embodiments, one meaning map 422 a .. . 422 n may include mappings for different dialects. In certainalternative embodiments, a user who spoke different dialects may havemultiple meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n, one for each dialect. Thus, themeaning mapper 410 enables a sender of a message to be alerted how themessage being sent may be read/interpreted by a recipient prior to themessage being sent. Thus, the meaning mapper 410 offers the sender theopportunity to correct potential misinterpretation for a specificrecipient. Also, the meaning mapper 410 enables a recipient to receiveannotations on how the message that has been received should beinterpreted.

Each knowledge base 420 a . . . 420 n may be described as a corpus thatstores language pair corrections which, in the act of communication, areleveraged and provided to a user in a User Interface (UI) I to hint orsuggest at potential variable interpretation(s) and to hint or suggestwhat is actually meant. Over time, each knowledge base 420 a . . . 420 ngrows, and each knowledge base 420 a . . . 420 n guides knowledge ofrecorded misinterpretations that have been built up (e.g., by experts).

In certain embodiments, a group of people (e.g., all people using themeaning mapper 410 or some subset of people) answer a set of questions(e.g., multiple choice questions) to define a meaning map 422 a . . .422 n. The questions are formulated to bring out different languageusage by different users. In various embodiments, each meaning map 422 a. . . 422 n is constructed by machine and/or by human analysis of theanswers.

For machine construction, the meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n may beconstructed from reading existing writing, from hearing speech, or othermeans where what a user means when he/she says something can beinferred.

The meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n may be published (e.g., in the cloudenvironment) or in other ways made available to other users who wish tocommunicate with the user who is associated with the meaning map 422 . .. 422 n.

For example, user A has an associated meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n thatis used to interpret what/how user A would understand a message, anduser B has an associated meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n that is used tointerpret what/how user B would understand a message. When user A anduser B communicate (e.g., user A sends user B an electronic message),the meaning mapper 410 determines whether there is a chance atmisunderstanding and highlights words that may bemisunderstood/misinterpreted by user B using the meaning maps 422 a . .. 422 n associated with user A and user B. Also, when user B receivesthe message, the meaning mapper 410 provides annotations on how user Aintended the message to be understood using the meaning maps 422 a . . .422 n associated with user A and user B. Annotations may be described asproviding the meaning (e.g., interpretation) of the message for aparticular recipient.

In certain embodiments, a personal dictionary 424 a . . . 424 n orpersonal thesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n is constructed so that the sendercan better communicate to the recipient. A personal dictionary 424 a . .. 424 n may be described as a listing of words, with each of wordshaving one or more definitions and zero or more pronunciations. Incertain embodiments, the personal dictionary 424 a . . . 424 n may bedescribed as interactive in that a user may alter the dictionary (e.g.,add words or add definitions). In certain embodiments, each user mayhave a different personal dictionary 424 a . . . 424 n or groups ofusers may share personal dictionary 424 a . . . 424 n. A personalthesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n may be described as a listing of words, witheach of the words have one or more synonyms and zero or more anonyms. Incertain embodiments, the personal thesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n may bedescribed as interactive in that a user may alter the thesaurus (e.g.,add words or add synonyms). In certain embodiments, each user may have adifferent personal thesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n or groups of users mayshare personal thesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n. For example, if a word isidentified (e.g., highlighted) as one that different users usedifferently, the meaning mapper 410 provides the sender with a list ofwords that mean the same thing to the user sending the message and anyuser receiving the message.

For example, if a sender says “I am arriving on the 8:15 train”, then arecipient may not know whether the sender meant to be on the train thatleft the train station at 8:15 or the train that is arriving at 8:15.The meaning mapper 410 may use meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n associatedwith the sender and the recipient to provide the sender with informationon how the recipient may interpret the message. The meaning mapper 410may also use meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n associated with the senderand the recipient to provide the recipient with information on how thesender meant the message to be interpreted. In certain embodiments,other information may be used to help eliminate ambiguity. For example,if the meaning mapper 410 knows that there is no train arriving at 8:15(e.g., based on a stored train schedule), the meaning mapper 410 canprovide this information to the recipient or indicate that the sendermeant to be on the train that left the train station at 8:15.

In certain embodiments, a level of misunderstanding or misinterpretationthat is acceptable may be set by the receiver, by the sender, based onrules/policies, or other means. The level may be based on rules thateveryone uses, may be a choice between rule sets, or may be customizedon a per user basis. Then, the meaning mapper 410 evaluates the “level”of misunderstanding/misinterpretation. Using this level, a sender orrecipient who is at a certain threshold is informed on potentialmisunderstandings when the threshold exceeds the level. In certainembodiments, the threshold is set by the receiver, by the sender, basedon rules/policies, or other means.

In certain embodiments, a sender sends a message to multiple recipients.The meaning mapper 410 evaluates potential misunderstanding on a perrecipient basis. The sender might set different thresholds for differentrecipients or alter the message for different recipients. In certainembodiments, some of the recipients are not screened (i.e., are notevaluated). These recipients have threshold=maximum (or infinity).

In certain embodiments, the meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n is developedbased on responses from members of a subculture, geographic location, orother subgroup, and the responses are used to inform communications withmembers of that subgroup. If communications take place between a senderand a recipient who is not in that subgroup, the meaning mapper 410 mayprovide the sender with an approximation of the meaning map 422 a . . .422 n that is appropriate for that communication. This allowsidentification of words or idioms that may not be understood by therecipient (e.g., to provide clarity across age cohorts and cultures).

For instance, if a baby boomer writes in a posting “I decided to deepsix some of the records”, the meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n may providefeedback indicating that recipients may not understand the intendedmeaning of “deep six” as “discard”. Similarly, if a resident of Irelandposts, “we started the project in anger”, the meaning map 422 a . . .422 n may indicate that US readers will interpret this as “we were angrywith (someone) when we started the project”.

In certain embodiments, the meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n is centrallylocated and may be consulted by the sender before any communication issent. In other embodiments, the recipient has access to the meaning map422 a . . . 422 n, and may consult the potential meanings intended bythe sender. If potential meanings contain ambiguities, the recipient canthen request clarification of the sender.

Merely to enhance understanding, additional examples are providedherein.

Cross-cultural miscommunication may occur between a user from a firstculture and a user from a second culture when the user from the secondculture does not receive the sender's intended message. The greater thedifferences between the sender's and the recipient's cultures, thegreater the chance for cross-cultural miscommunication. For example, aJapanese businessman wants to tell his Norwegian client that he isuninterested in a particular sale. To be polite, the Japanesebusinessman says, “That will be very difficult.” The Norwegian clientinterprets the statement to mean that there are still unresolvedproblems, not that the deal is off. The Norwegian client responds byasking how his company can help solve the problems. The Japanesebusinessman, believing he has sent the message that there will be nosale, is mystified by the response.

As another example, a British boss asks a new, young American employeeif he would like to have an early lunch at 1 P.M. each day. The Americanemployee answers, “Yeah, that would be great!”. The British boss,hearing the word yeah instead of the word yes, assumed that the employeeis being rude, ill-mannered, and disrespectful. The British bossresponds with a curt, “With that kind of attitude, you may as wellforget about lunch!”. The American employee is bewildered.Unfortunately, as is the case in most miscommunication, neither thesender nor the recipient is fully aware of what had gone wrong and why.

As a further example, the sentence ‘You shouldn't steal library books’;with different emphasis placed on each word within an email will changethe meaning and interpretation of the sentence, as in the following twosentences:

You shouldn't steal library books (implying that it may be acceptablefor others to do so).

You shouldn't steal library books (implying that something like defacingthem might be acceptable).

As yet another example of semantics used in sentences (i.e., it is inthe context of a sentence that a given word takes on a definitemeaning), the same word may have many distinct meanings:

He is a green lawyer. (i.e. inexperienced).

She is looking green. (i.e. nauseated).

We had a green winter last year. (i.e. no snow).

FIG. 5 illustrates, in a flow diagram, operations performed when amessage is to be sent from a sender to one or more recipients inaccordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 5 is formed by FIG. 5A andFIG. 5B.

Control begins in block 500 with the meaning mapper 410 receiving amessage from a sender before message is sent to one or more recipients.In block 502, the meaning mapper 410 receives selection of a modalityfor each of the one or more recipients. In block 504, the meaning mapper410 receives selection of a level of misunderstanding ormisinterpretation for each of the one or more recipients. In block 506,the meaning mapper 410 receives a request for annotations for themessage. In block 508, the meaning mapper 410 obtains one or moremeaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n for the sender and the one or morerecipients. In certain embodiments, one meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n isobtained for each of the recipients or for some group of the recipients(e.g., a sub-group or all of the recipients). In certain embodiments, auser may identify particular meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n to use. Incertain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 obtains a meaning map 422 a. . . 422 n based on the recipients' identifying information (e.g.,email address, name, etc.).

From block 508 (FIG. 5A), processing continues to block 510 (FIG. 5B).In block 510, for each recipient whose level exceeds the threshold, themeaning mapper 410 provides annotations on how each recipient mayinterpret the message based on the meaning maps for each recipient. Incertain embodiments, the annotations are provided as a report.

In block 512, the meaning mapper 410, in response to providing theannotations, receives changes for one or more of the recipients. Inblock 514, the meaning mapper 410 determines whether additionalannotations are to be provided. If so, processing loops back to block510, otherwise, processing continues to block 516. In certainembodiments, the meaning mapper 410 automatically provides additionalannotations based on the change message. In certain alternativeembodiments, the meaning mapper 410 receives a request from the senderto provide additional annotations.

In block 516, the meaning mapper 410 sends message to the one or morerecipients as changed by the sender for that recipient.

FIG. 6 illustrates, in a flow diagram, operations performed when amessage is received by a recipient in accordance with certainembodiments. Control begins in block 600 with the meaning mapper 410receiving a message for a recipient. In block 602, the obtains meaningmaps 422 a . . . 422 n of the sender and the recipient. In block 604,the meaning mapper 410 provides annotations on how the sender meantmessage to be interpreted based on the meaning map associated with thesender and the meaning map associated with the recipient.

The following is an example of annotations that may be provided by themeaning mapper 410. A sender initially writes the following message andrequests annotations:

“further thoughts: apply approach to enterprise customer deployments . .. ”

The meaning mapper 410 determines that the message may be interpreteddifferently by different recipients and provides the followingannotations for each of three recipients:

-   Recipient A may interpret the message as: “further thoughts . . .    could we think about applying the same approach for our enterprise    customer deployments . . . ”-   Recipient B may interpret the message as: “further thoughts . . . we    need to think about applying the same approach for our enterprise    customer deployments . . . ”-   Recipient C may interpret the message as: “further thoughts . . . we    are applying this approach for our enterprise customer deployments .    . . ”

The sender modifies the message as follows by selecting a “correctiveaction” proposed by the meaning mapper 410 to change the initial messageto:

-   “further thoughts . . . we need to think about applying the same    approach for our enterprise customer deployments . . . ”

If the sender sent the message (with or without modification), themeaning mapper 410 may also provide annotations to each sender. Forexample, the meaning mapper 410 may have learned from past experiencethat the sender's way of asking really means “Do it”, and the meaningmapper 410 provides annotations to modify the sentence by adding “weneed to” to avoid any confusion on what is the meaning of what thesender is asking the team to do.

FIG. 7 illustrates, in a flow diagram, operations performed to provideannotations on a message in accordance with certain embodiments. Controlbegins in block 700 with the meaning mapper 410 receiving a message. Inblock 702, the meaning mapper 410 parses the message intosub-constructs. In block 704, the meaning mapper 410 comparessub-constructs in the meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n of the sender andthe recipient. In block 706, the meaning mapper 410 identifiesalternative language (e.g., alternative tokens, words, phrases, etc.)for the sub-constructs based on the meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n. Incertain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 identifies the alternativelanguage using a personal dictionary 424 a . . . 424 n and/or a personalthesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n associated with the sender and/or recipient.For example, when a sender is about to send a message, the meaningmapper 410 may use a personal dictionary 424 a . . . 424 n and/or apersonal thesaurus 426 a . . . 426 n associated with the recipient toidentify alternative language. As another example, when a recipientreceives a message, the meaning mapper 410 may use a personal dictionary424 a . . . 424 n and/or a personal thesaurus 426 a . . . 426 nassociated with the sender to identify alternative language that assiststhe recipient with understanding the message. In block 708, the meaningmapper 410 generates annotations based on the alternative language.

Thus, in certain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 defines a meaningmap 422 a . . . 422 n that describes how a person or group of personsuses and perceive language. The meaning map 422 a . . . 422 n consistsof words and phrases combined with related facets of information aboutthat person or group and use of and perception of those words orphrases.

In certain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 analyzes words andphrases from one person or group (sender) to another person or group(recipient) by comparing meaning maps 422 a . . . 422 n and the variousfacets associated with words and phrases and identifying specific andinteresting features based on the comparison. For example, the meaningmapper 410 may identify words and phrases where there are conflictsbetween the perceptions of the sender and the recipient and/or mayidentify words and phrases that have undesirable qualities to therecipient.

In certain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 produces a reportstructure consisting of multiple feature comparison aspects. Suchfeature comparison aspects are associated with multiple recipients of amessage.

In certain embodiments, the meaning mapper 410 displays the annotationsto a user, such as via an instance messaging client, an e-mail, a socialnetworking client or any correspondence that can be included in text.

The meaning mapper 410 has knowledge of who the recipient is, so priorto sending the message, the sender is provided with knowledge as to howthe message will be interpreted by the particular recipient. This allowsthe sender to adjust the message so that the intention is corrected atthe outset and prior to sending the message. Also, the meaning mapper410 provides the recipient with knowledge of how the message should beinterpreted.

The meaning mapper 410 take into account a user's usage, meaning,perception, and interpretation of the user's language. That is, themeaning mapper 410 recognizes that there may be multiple meanings towords, phrases or messages.

With embodiments, listening or reading refers to being open to whatanother user is saying and/or writing. The meaning mapper 410 sends outa message that should be accurately understood and returned.

In certain embodiments, social media (e.g., social software, websites,blogs, etc.) may be used for a user to find a subject matter expert tohelp with a problem. The seeker of expertise might be solving an urgentcustomer problem and does not have time to become personally acquaintedwith the expert. The meaning mapper 410 allows the seeker of expertiseand the expert to communicate more effectively even if they have justmet.

The meaning mapper 410 addresses several barriers to effectivecommunication (e.g., cultural differences and imprecise used language).

Additional Embodiment Details

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, solid state memory, magnetic tape orany suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of thisdocument, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible mediumthat can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods,apparatus (systems) and computer program products according toembodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block ofthe flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational processing (e.g., operations or steps) to beperformed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devicesto produce a computer implemented process such that the instructionswhich execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provideprocesses for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

The code implementing the described operations may further beimplemented in hardware logic or circuitry (e.g., an integrated circuitchip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), etc. The hardware logic may be coupled to a processor toperform operations.

Devices that are in communication with each other need not be incontinuous communication with each other, unless expressly specifiedotherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication with eachother may communicate directly or indirectly through one or moreintermediaries.

A description of an embodiment with several components in communicationwith each other does not imply that all such components are required. Onthe contrary a variety of optional components are described toillustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the presentinvention.

Further, although process steps, method steps, algorithms or the likemay be described in a sequential order, such processes, methods andalgorithms may be configured to work in alternate orders. In otherwords, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does notnecessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in thatorder. The steps of processes described herein may be performed in anyorder practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readilyapparent that more than one device/article (whether or not theycooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly,where more than one device or article is described herein (whether ornot they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a singledevice/article may be used in place of the more than one device orarticle or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead ofthe shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or thefeatures of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more otherdevices which are not explicitly described as having suchfunctionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the present inventionneed not include the device itself.

The illustrated operations of the flow diagrams show certain eventsoccurring in a certain order. In alternative embodiments, certainoperations may be performed in a different order, modified or removed.Moreover, operations may be added to the above described logic and stillconform to the described embodiments. Further, operations describedherein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed inparallel. Yet further, operations may be performed by a singleprocessing unit or by distributed processing units.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “theembodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “someembodiments”, and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all)embodiments of the present invention(s)” unless expressly specifiedotherwise.

The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereofmean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specifiedotherwise.

The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of theitems are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of embodiments of the present invention has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the embodimentsbe limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto. The above specification, examples and data provide acomplete description of the manufacture and use of the composition ofthe embodiments. Since many embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention, the embodiments reside inthe claims hereinafter appended or any subsequently-filed claims, andtheir equivalents.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer system for providing annotationsfor revising a message, comprising: a processor; and a storage deviceconnected to the processor, wherein the storage device has storedthereon a program, and wherein the processor is configured to executeinstructions of the program to perform operations, wherein theoperations comprise: receiving a message to be sent from a sender to arecipient; receiving selection of a dialect for the sender and a dialectfor the recipient; receiving a level of misunderstanding that isacceptable to the recipient; selecting a meaning map associated with thesender based on the dialect for the sender to determine a first contextof the message that indicates a first way in which the message isunderstood; selecting a meaning map associated with the recipient basedon the dialect for the recipient to determine a second context of themessage that indicates a second way in which the message is understood;parsing the message into sub-constructs; comparing the sub-constructs inthe meaning map associated with the sender and the meaning mapassociated with the recipient to identify words and phrases where thereare differences between perceptions of the sender and the recipient; andin response to the comparisons showing that the differences are greaterthan a threshold that is based on the level of misunderstanding that isacceptable, identifying alternative language for the sub-constructs inthe message; and providing annotations for the message to the senderbased on the alternative language before the message is sent from thesender to the recipient, wherein the annotations indicate the secondcontext of the message.
 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: receiving the message for the recipient;obtaining the meaning map associated with the sender; and providingannotations on how the sender meant the message to be interpreted basedon the meaning map associated with the sender.
 3. The computer system ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: associating adifferent level of misunderstanding that is acceptable with each ofmultiple recipients who are to receive the message.
 4. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: receivingselection of a modality for each of multiple recipients who are toreceive the message.
 5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: in response to providing the annotations,receiving changes to the message.
 6. The computer system of claim 1,wherein there are multiple recipients and different annotations areprovided for each of the multiple recipients.
 7. The computer system ofclaim 1, wherein the alternative language is identified using at leastone of a personal dictionary and a personal thesaurus.
 8. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein a Software as a Service (SaaS) is configuredto perform computer system operations.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereina Software as a Service (SaaS) is configured to perform methodoperations.
 10. A computer program product for providing annotations forrevising a message, the computer program product comprising: anon-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readableprogram code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable programcode, when executed by a processor of a computer, is configured toperform: receiving a message to be sent from a sender to a recipient;receiving selection of a dialect for the sender and a dialect for therecipient; receiving a level of misunderstanding that is acceptable tothe recipient; selecting a meaning map associated with the sender basedon the dialect for the sender to determine a first context of themessage that indicates a first way in which the message is understood;selecting a meaning map associated with the recipient based on thedialect for the recipient to determine a second context of the messagethat indicates a second way in which the message is understood; parsingthe message into sub-constructs; comparing the sub-constructs in themeaning map associated with the sender and the meaning map associatedwith the recipient to identify words and phrases where there aredifferences between perceptions of the sender and the recipient; and inresponse to the comparisons showing that the differences are greaterthan a threshold that is based on the level of misunderstanding that isacceptable in the message, identifying alternative language for thesub-constructs; and providing annotations for the message to the senderbased on the alternative language before the message is sent from thesender to the recipient, wherein the annotations indicate the secondcontext of the message.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10,wherein the computer readable program code, when executed by theprocessor of the computer, is configured to perform: receiving themessage for the recipient; obtaining the meaning map associated with thesender; and providing annotations on how the sender meant the message tobe interpreted based on the meaning map associated with the sender. 12.The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readableprogram code, when executed by the processor of the computer, isconfigured to perform: associating a different level of misunderstandingthat is acceptable with each of multiple recipients who are to receivethe message.
 13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein thecomputer readable program code, when executed by the processor of thecomputer, is configured to perform: receiving selection of a modalityfor each of multiple recipients who are to receive the message.
 14. Thecomputer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readableprogram code, when executed by the processor of the computer, isconfigured to perform: in response to providing the annotations,receiving changes to the message.
 15. The computer program product ofclaim 10, wherein there are multiple recipients and differentannotations are provided for each of the multiple recipients.
 16. Thecomputer program product of claim 10 wherein the alternative language isidentified using at least one of a personal dictionary and a personalthesaurus.
 17. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein aSoftware as a Service (SaaS) is configured to perform computer programproduct operations.
 18. A method for providing annotations for revisinga message, comprising: receiving, using a processor of a computer, amessage to be sent from a sender to a recipient; receiving selection ofa dialect for the sender and a dialect for the recipient; receiving alevel of misunderstanding that is acceptable to the recipient; selectinga meaning map associated with the sender based on the dialect for thesender to determine a first context of the message that indicates afirst way in which the message is understood; selecting a meaning mapassociated with the recipient based on the dialect for the recipient todetermine a second context of the message that indicates a second way inwhich the message is understood; parsing the message intosub-constructs; comparing the sub-constructs in the meaning mapassociated with the sender and the meaning map associated with therecipient to identify words and phrases where there are differencesbetween perceptions of the sender and the recipient; and in response tothe comparisons showing that the differences are greater than athreshold that is based on the level of misunderstanding that isacceptable, identifying alternative language for the sub-constructs inthe message; and providing annotations for the message to the senderbased on the alternative language before the message is sent from thesender to the recipient, wherein the annotations indicate the secondcontext of the message.
 19. The computer system of claim 18, furthercomprising: receiving the message for the recipient; obtaining themeaning map associated with the sender; and providing annotations on howthe sender meant the message to be interpreted based on the meaning mapassociated with the sender.
 20. The computer system of claim 18, furthercomprising: associating a different level of misunderstanding that isacceptable with each of multiple recipients who are to receive themessage.
 21. The computer system of claim 18, further comprising:receiving selection of a modality for each of multiple recipients whoare to receive the message.
 22. The computer system of claim 18, furthercomprising: in response to providing the annotations, receiving changesto the message.
 23. The computer system of claim 18, wherein there aremultiple recipients and different annotations are provided for each ofthe multiple recipients.
 24. The computer system of claim 18, whereinthe alternative language is identified using at least one of a personaldictionary and a personal thesaurus.